Late December at the Grand Canyon?
 

Am I crazy? I need to plan a real vacation, and I have zoned in on the idea of going to the Grand Canyon (South Rim) in December. My thinking is that yes, it will be chilly (but still probably not as cold as home) but would be less crowded and views might be even more spectacular with clear winter air, losing some of the haziness of summer. Am I nuts?

I know they can get snow sometimes, but how bad is it really? Will the road up through Flagstaff get icy/snowy sometimes? I'm kind of thinking of also driving east, maybe as far as Canyon de Chelly, so the same questions apply. How are the roads out in that direction, and how often might they get snow? It's not like we aren't used to icy, snowy roads, but it can make a difference if the local road maintenance people don't keep up with it.

Is this a crazy idea? Have others visited at that time of year and what do they think?

Getting to the GC in winter is GENERALLY not a problem, as (1) heavy snow is rare and (2) roads to the South Rim are kept open. HOWEVER, a snow storm is always a possibility, so keep watching the weather.

And be prepared for real cold. The rim is at an elevation of about 2100 meters, and the dry air can get quite chilly at night.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisi...-condition.htm

At the bottom of this page

www.nps.gov/cach/index.htm

you'll see a shot note about winter in Canyon de Chelly, which does not seem as drastic as GC.

Thanks very much for this PaulRabe. I was navigating the nps site, don't know how I missed this! I have to keep thinking about whether this is a good idea.

It's quite dramatic to see snow on the ground and along some of the ridges of the GC, contrasting with the vivid hues of red and green inside the canyon. I even got a great shot of a rainbow inside the canyon, below the rim, during wintertime. Perhaps combine your trip with a stay in Phoenix to enjoy the warmer weather and desert scenery.

I would definitely advise going in Dec. We have gone 3 times in January, and it has been so great. Do you hike? We hiked down and stayed in the canyon overnight. Then hiked back out the next day. We had the mules carry our tent and sleeping bags. It was so neat. Once it was snowing as we hiked down in the morning, but as you go further down into the canyon it gets warmer. There was a beautiful rainbow, and by the time we were in the bottom of the canyon the bad weather had passed. You will need to get a reservation in advance if you camp. Another time we stayed at the El Tovar right on the rims, and drove to all of the overlooks. When we woke up in the morning there was a dusting of snow on everything-very beautiful! We drove a 4WD vehicle, and may have used it a bit along the highway once out of 3 times.

Hmm. I was starting to think we shouldn't go, and now you have me re-thinking this! Thank you for sharing your experiences. I need to decide soon.

My last 5 trips to the Grand Canyon have all been in December. I love it there then - a whole lot less people and the Canyon with snow is a fantastic sight to see.
We have had a wide variety of temperatures during those trips. Last year we probably had the coldest temps and the most snow - lows overnight about 10 to 15 degrees and highs during the day between 30 to 40. It snowed about 16" the day before we arrived and when we were there it snowed about another 6 to 10". In between it was glorious sunshine, although rather chilly.
Other years the temperatures have been into the 50s during the day, with some scattered snow in places.
We always just park the car and either walk or take the shuttle buses.
Just remember to dress in layers.
Enjoy

Well, I think I'm going to do it. I've worked out we can take 1 1/2 weeks, so we can spend part of the time down south where it is warmer.

I'll start serious planning and plotting this weekend!